I would like to ask you to share the poem below with as many people as you can so we can revive these principles and, in so doing, restore our country’s reputation as a place of refuge and where dreams are possible before it’s lost forever. I believe we need to understand what people experience, foster cooperation over competition, and allow everyone a chance to shine, discover their unique qualities while appreciating what others have to offer–whatever that may be. I also believe we should value all contributions and abilities, not only the “academic” skills so prized today. Artists, caretakers, entrepeneurs, nonprofessional athletes, plumbers, mechanics, actors, beauticians, servers, customer service representatives deserve just as much appreciation and admiration for what they do as we currently give to the people who earn 10x as much–or more.

Please take time to thank those who give you joy and help you in some way–and to find out something about them. You may discover that you have something in common with them, learn something fascinating or make a new friend!

want to develop the new skill, understand something, or gain new knowledge

understand what they need to do to get there

believe they can “do it” with effort and perseverence

feel good about the challenge before them (isn’t too hard or too easy)

enjoy themselves while they are learning

progress in their knowledge/ability at a steady pace

apply their knowledge or use their new skill

trust the source of information

feel confident that they can, through effort, succeed

Unfortunately, most schools today emphasize and reward verbal-linguistic (reading/writing), logical-analytical (math and science) and interpersonal (social) skills. The minority of students who excel in these areas (IF they also have great short-term recall skills) are disproportionately praised and recognized because they seem to have “all the right answers” in class and do well on multiple choice and other tests. Sadly, they and most of society see these students as “gifted” and “smart” people. Not what they truly are: able to do better than their peers in these areas. This view is reinforced through the competitive, test-taking model of instruction that often ignores other measures of “knowing” that are just as valuable to our quality of life.

The “unsung talents” I’m referring to include: creative (artistic) people who are good at brainstorming and seeing “new ways” to do things, persons who work well independently (intrapersonal), the people who make our lives easier and more enjoyable (kinesthetic, musical), those who seek to save us from harming ourselves and other entities (naturalists, existentialists) and combination of these forces that we depend upon for our lives and quality of life.

For this reason, I say: “No more teaching to the test; instead, let’s see all students’ best!”

When it comes to learning a new language, our eyes and facial muscles are just as important to acquiring a new language as our ears. This is because we watch how people articulate the sounds that are unfamiliar to us, associate what is appropriate to say by observing body language and the reactions of others in various interactive situations and use the data we collect to express ourselves in the language we are trying to master.

In order to do this, we need consistent, repeated exposure to language patterns such as what, when, how and where we hear certain sounds, words and expressions before we can understand that: 1) some sounds matter and others don’t; 2) how to make the meaningful sounds; and 3) to finally utter our first words. For adults, it takes a while to be able to differentiate the old from the new, but eventually we learn to identify new speech sounds, articulate them and, finally, communicate in a way that native speakers can understand. The process is slow and, unlike for children, it’s a conscious effort for adults.

While adults focus on how to communicate proficiently from the first words spoken, children focus on getting their message across–no matter how they do it. In other words, children aren’t monitoring what they say before they say it like adults, nor are they as self-conscious about making a mistake since listeners often help them express what they want to say afterward. Because children using receive supportive instruction and acceptance for their efforts, they are less afraid of making a mistake and, thus, are able to practice and learn how to communicate in the target language faster than adults.

If adults were as given the same response from native speakers in foreign countries or more opportunities to practice their skills in the same, “safe” learning environment as children–and see mistakes as learning opportunities instead of reflections of their intelligence–then adults would likely learn their new language at the same rate as children.

In fact, adults often have unrealistic expectations for how long it takes to master a new language. They also live and work among native speakers who are less patient and helpful when nonnative English language learners express themselves “imperfectly.” many to lose confidence in their ability to communicate successfully with native speakers.

How can native speakers help immigrants and refugees improve their language skills? First, we should be compassionate, patient, and welcoming toward them and meet them half-way in the interaction rather than expect them to do all of the work for creating understanding between two people. Communities, family, relatives, friends, co-workers, customer service representatives and others can also enable learners to become fluent more quickly by welcoming them into conversations, helping them express what they want to say, and being patient with them as they think through how to articulate their idea, opinion, request, question or comment.

If an adult learner is struggling to say something, listeners should respond by creating a safe and advantageous learning environment using appropriate assistive gestures like showing interest in what they have to say and waiting silently while they collect their thoughts. Treating persons this way will enable them to learn English faster and be less timid or self-conscious as they work toward becoming competent speakers, writers, readers and listeners.

Language is complex, and so are people. You never know what you will learn from someone, especially someone with a different background than you. I hope you will consider reaching out to an immigrant, refugee or international student in friendship–for their benefit and yours.